>>214342348
Yes actually.
I'm kinda referring to the Alien: Covenant director's commentary which I just watched a few weeks ago.
He talks about how he used to operate the camera himself on his films, to get exactly what he wanted, and how he's no longer allowed to do that because of unions.
He probably could go outside the studio system and make stuff himself, but then Hollywood would sic the movie critic system on him to call stuff he makes outside of the Hollywood system shit, regardless of its actual quality, like they did with people like David Lynch.
Ridley did actually direct (2 episodes of), creatively influence (seems to have been a big factor in the writing/conception), and produce Raised By Wolves, which to me proves he's definitely still got it. It's one of the best things produced for TV in the past 20 years, and that basically was a smaller production.
It was still very obviously restrained by DEI in terms of the writing (even when it made no fucking sense for the story - basically a space colony with diversity, instead of physical and mental fitness of the colonists as a priority), and he probably had to play ball there to get the thing produced. HBO being the network.
But even despite its obvious back-room restrictions it was still one of the best/smartest things for TV in the last 20 years.
And then it was fucking cancelled, probably because it was too good.
